Indonesian Club Lamongan FC Mourn Goalkeeper Huda Who Died After Collision With Teammate

Lamongan FC and the whole Indonesian football fraternity were thrown into mourning following the unfortunate death of Choirul Huda, the long-term goalkeeper and captain of the club after a collision with a team mate during a weekend match at their stadium in East Java.

On their official Twitter page, Lamongan, also known as Persela FC carried “farewell cap” above a photo of Huda. According to the team’s Instagram page, the club will retire the number one jersey worn by Huda.

The 38-year-old was taken off the pitch on a stretcher after losing consciousness and a medical team at the stadium attempted to resuscitate him, said Doctor Yudistiro Andri Nugroho, head of the emergency Care Unit at the Soegiri Hospital, Lamongan.

Huda was taken to the hospital’s intensive care unit and given breathing assistance and cardiopulmonary resuscitation, but his condition deteriorated and he was pronounced dead at 4.45 pm, Nugroho said in a statement.

“We did all we could to restore the vital functions of Choirul Huda’s organs,” the doctor said.

His fellow players had gone to straight to the hospital after the final whistle following their 2-0 win over Semen Padang and supporters later went to his house with candles, according to local media reports.

Huda had played for Persela since 1999, making more than 500 appearances, and the club described him as “the Real Legend of Persela” in a tribute on Twitter.